Six Pirates advance to state tournament

TRI CITY — Six Phoenix wrestlers earned trips to next week's state tournament at the Class 4A District 3 tournament at South Umpqua High Saturday.

TRI CITY — Six Phoenix wrestlers earned trips to next week's state tournament at the Class 4A District 3 tournament at South Umpqua High Saturday.

However, one key Pirate won't be making the trip to compete.

Braden Vega, a junior who is ranked third in the state at 138 pounds, suffered an apparent concussion during a loss in the consolation round, said Phoenix coach John Farmer, and was taken to a hospital. He was later released, but his hopes of competing at state were dashed.

"It was hard for him, especially," said Farmer. "He's worked so hard."

Henley won the team title with 317.5 points and was followed by Klamath Union at 202.5 and Phoenix at 132.5.

The top four at each weight in the 12-team region advanced to state, which is next Friday and Saturday at Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

Phoenix got more than half of its 11 competitors through, led by Izzy Rubio, the Pirates' lone champion, at 160.

Rubio, a junior, defeated North Valley's Ryan Clarkin, 9-1, in the finals.

"Last year, he (Rubio) wasn't seeded at all," said Farmer. "This year, he lost in the district finals last week, then came back today. He had a great tournament. He stepped up and we're really looking forward to seeing him perform at state. He's been doing a good job all year, so it's good to see him get the reward he deserves."

The Pirates' Austyn Snow was runner-up at 126 pounds. The senior was pinned in the second round by Conner Noonan, a freshman from Henley.

Hidden Valley had three finalists, with Brad Hyatt taking the title at 195 pounds after a 3-2 decision over Klamath Union's Mitch Mirande. Mustang teammates AJ Munoz, at 132, and Chance Anderson, at 152, were runners-up.

3A DISTRICT 3 TOURNAMENT — At Coquille, five Illinois Valley wrestlers placed second to lead the Cougars to a fourth-place team finish at Coquille High School.

Glide won the tournament with 345 points. Rogue River was fifth and Cascade Christian sixth in the seven-team event.

Cascade Christian sophomore Jacob Hoppes, a 126-pounder, and junior Levi Clark (220) both came within a win of qualifying for the state tournament before losing their third-place matches. Cascade Christian junior Trace Walker placed fifth at 285, giving the Challengers three top-five finishes by wrestlers who are new to the sport.